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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. field — farmland
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. field — a subject
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chip — for betting
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — for sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. court — for sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com